The Baltimore Ravens are 6-7 (if any of you do the thing after hearing that, I wish nothing but horrible things upon your home and life). Following a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore is currently the second team out of the postseason in the AFC playoff picture. Behind the Indianapolis Colts (8-5).
There are multiple paths for the Ravens to make it to the playoffs, but the most logical is that they win the AFC North. Considering a wild card berth would involve a collapse by one of the three teams with 8+ wins, as well as the Ravens practically winning out, we'll just say that's pretty unlikely.
The AFC North is still very much up for grabs, though, and here is how the Ravens can win the division.
Win out
The Ravens control their own destiny, even at 6-7. If they win out, the win the AFC North and will host a playoff game. Their schedule, though, is one of the more difficult in the NFL. They travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals in Week 15 before their home finale in Week 16 against the New England Patriots. They then close out the season with road trips against the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers. Winning out is a tall task, but if they do it, they win the division.
The Steelers lose games
The Steelers have one of the easier remaining schedules. They host the Miami Dolphins in Week 15 on Monday Night Football before travelling to Detroit to face the Lions. They then go on the road to face Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns and then close out their year against the Ravens. The Lions are certainly the toughest team on that docket. If the Ravens go 3-0 ahead of Week 18, then the Week 18 contest will be for the division. However, if the Ravens go 2-1, they will need the Steelers to drop a game before the final week of the season in order to be able to remain alive in the AFC North. For every loss the Ravens have in the next three weeks, they will need the Steelers to match it.
Wild Card
The Houston Texans are 8-5 and hold the No. 7 seed. They also hold the head-to-head victory over the Ravens. And as already mentioned, the Colts sit at 8-5 and are the first team out. The best path there would be the Ravens getting to 10-7 and the Texans going 1-3 or worse in the final four games to go 9-8 or 8-9. For the Colts, they would have to do the same. If all three teams finish 9-8, the Ravens do not get into the postseason.
The best thing for the Ravens is to just take care of their own business in order to avoid needing a ton of help in the waning weeks of the season. That starts on Sunday when they face the Bengals.
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